Janus

Latin

"doorway"

Janus Origin and Meaning

The name Janus is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "doorway".

The meaning of this ancient Roman god's name relates to transitions, hence its connection to the name of the first month of the new year, a time of fresh beginnings. Janus is usually depicted as a two-faced god facing in opposite directions, since he looks both to the future and the past. It's no surprise then, that Janus is one of the premiere January baby names. The Slavic form Janusz is more commonly used than the English, represented by the Polish cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, who has shot all of Steven Spielberg's films from Schindler's List to Lincoln.

But with January having been taken over by the girls, why not consider Janus? One caveat: it does sound a lot like the female Janice.

Janus Popularity

• 1614 Nameberry 2024

20 Names Similar to Janus

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Janus.

• Azarius
• Helios
• Silvanus
• Cadmus
• Kostas
• Dionysius
• Syrus
• Raham
• Gvaram
• Seele
• Balasz
• Heremias
• Hieronymos
• Yeranos
• Leanther
• Erle
• Hermes
• Yevetta
• Jeno
• Mateu

Famous People Named Janus

• Janus King of Cyprus
• Janus Friis Danish founder of Skype and Kazaa

Janus in Pop Culture

• Janus Roman god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, and endings.
• Janus birth name of the character Magus from the video game "Chrono Trigger"
• Janus Weathercock pen name used by poisoner Thomas Griffiths Wainewright in his 1820,3 contributions to "The London Magazine"
• Mr. Janus extraterrestrial whom Sir Peter Horsley met with according to his autobiography "Sounds From Another Room"
• Janus one of the branches of the Cahill family in "The 39 Clues" book series, descended from Jane Cahill
• Janus Prospero aka Alice female character in Resident Evil series